If NBA commissioner Adam Silver thought the "rigged" allegations would blow over in time for the draft, well ... he was decidedly wrong!
As Silver walked out onto the stage to open Wednesday night's event and introduce the Dallas Mavericks' time on the clock, cameras picked up a heckle from a clearly angry fan: "Dallas was rigged!"
Watch that below:
Fan attending the draft loudly shouts out: “DALLAS WAS RIGGED!” pic.twitter.com/KGIHXGRKH0
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 26, 2025
For those who are behind, this fan is reacting to the fact that the Dallas Mavericks—who effectively blew up their season (and their connection with fans) after trading franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic at the deadline in February—somehow won the No. 1 pick of the draft despite having a 1.8% chance in the lottery.
The victory, which was nothing short of a miracle, tossed the struggling Mavs and general manager Nico Harrison an improbable lifeline, setting them up to select generational talent Cooper Flagg in the 2025 draft (which, of course, they did). Unfortunately for the league, however, the giant stroke of luck would serve as kindling for what would become a blaze of "the NBA is rigged" claims.
Silver obviously said nothing on Wednesday and ignored the remark, as he did the normal wave of boos that greeted him on stage. And back in Dallas, inside the Mavs war room, an equally unbothered Harrison was surely smiling to himself, ready to redeem his tarnished reputation.
More NBA Draft on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Cameras Picked Up 'Dallas Was Rigged' Chant Before Mavs Drafted Cooper Flagg.
